The greatest thing about the book is not its interesting and funny characters; it’s not the simple but effective prose, nor the clever inclusion of cartoons to help tell the story. It’s not even the story itself, so honest and sad, but hopeful. The best thing about this book is that it tackles real life issues and situations from a believable perspective. Junior has to deal with so much, in such a short time. He lives with an alcoholic father, an eccentric mother, and an absent sister. He faces bullies at his old school, bullies on his reservation, and being ignored and undervalued at his new school. He watches people close to him die and struggles to learn how to grieve, when his best friend has abandoned him. Despite all this, though, he also learns to value himself. He puts vigorous energy and effort into basketball and drawing. He refuses to sit by and let life pass him, instead choosing to engage with others, since they won’t engage with him. He makes new friends, earns the respect of others, and even dates the prettiest girl in school. This is a story about the sometimes horridness that is our teenage years, and it is a story of hope for all young readers – that they, too, can get through it. They can survive and, most importantly, they can find happiness.
Arnold Spirit aka Junior. He is a Native American that lives in an Indian Reservation. He isn't really satisfied with his life, since he's pretty poor, but he gets along. He doesn't really accept himself, since he has multiple medical problems, and he has been beaten up since he was little. When he starts to gain more friends in this new American school, he starts to like and accept himself more than before.
At first Junior didn't like himself; he was constantly beaten up, but saved by his best friend, Rowdy,...